Jamryn, in Jewish tradition it is not appropriate to spell out the name of G_d. So most either use the alternate term Hashem or spell it G_d.
I am not Jewish though a time or two I came close to converting for there is much to be said for Jewish tradition and practice. But I realized something else happens. By spelling it G_d or Godde, it seems to set Deity apart and remove some of the gender laden connotation that goes with it. So when I write G_d, it is both out of respect for another tradition, but also to set aside that name as transcendent beyond the our humanized imagery of Spirit. I don't expect everybody to do it, but it seems to work for me.
God is not his (It's) name - it is a title. Some prefer Jehovah, others use different names!
Jim
Jim, I understand what you are saying, but nevertheless in Jewish Tradition it is spelled G_d. There are actually many names for G_d in Jewish tradition, but when spoken in synagogue the word most often written is Hashem. It's all based on an ancient belief that if G_d could be named, G_d could be controlled or even destroyed. That belief subsided, but the tradition continued.
Here is a blurb I pulled down from the internet. Btw, I unintentionally said that Hashem was used in synagogue. that is not true. It is however used outside of synagogue. Here is what one rabbi answers:
Question: Why do some Jews spell God, "G-d"?
Answer: God's name is treated with unusual care in Jewish tradition. The divine name, YHWH (spelled with the Hebrew letters yud, hey, vav, hey) is never pronounced. Traditionally, Jews read the word "Adonai" (often translated as "the Lord") whenever reading God's holiest name in Torah or in prayer. However, "Adonai" is not God's name.
Among some traditional Jews, speaking even the word "Adonai" is avoided outside of worship or study. This "stand-in" for God's name is itself replaced by "Ha-Shem" ("The Name"). The practice also has been extended to other Hebrew words associated with God. For example, the Hebrew word "Elohim," which means "God" (the title, not God's name), is pronounced "Elokim" outside of prayer and study.
In recent years, some Jews have carried the practice even further by abstaining from writing the English word "God" and substituting the spelling, "G-d" or "Gd." However, there is no prohibition in Jewish law from writing "God" in any language other than Hebrew. In fact, there is an often repeated story about Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, z"l, one of the foremost authorities of Modern Orthodoxy, who intentionally would write and erase the word "God" (in English) on the blackboard in front of his students at Yeshiva University in order to emphasize the fact this is not prohibited by Jewish law.
Some Reform Jews observe the custom of spelling God as "G-d." Most do not. In any case, it would be inappropriate and opposed to Jewish values to correct or shame a person for keeping this practice if it is done out of respect and reverence for God.
L'Shalom,
Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser
note: One of my classmates is a rabbi. I first began the practice of spelling it this way out of respect for him as that is what he uses in correspondence. After doing that awhile, I decided such respect could be expanded in other correspondence as well. Usually if I am writing I will either spell G_d or Godde. The latter is a gender neutral spelling originating over the last decade within the search for the Feminine Divine, because many women felt uncomfortable using terminology that was so associated with the oppression of women, but not desiring to offend those who saw G_d as masculine either.
Thanks for the question and the answer ... I was curious, too.
Doesn't matter how you spell our creator and protector as Jim said.
It is the same person and WE ALL should accept any kind of spelling from anybody.
It is a respect thing for all, not just one person's opinion.
I called him Father God, OM, God, Mother Azna, there are 2, the mother and father god, has to be.
We were created in THEIR image. I don't look like a man.
It's a sign of the times. I just quit a group, that did not want me to mention God or Jesus. She better look up Mark 3:20-27.. That says it all.
We are each on our own path. What helps and inspires me may not help or inspire another person and may indeed make them feel I don't accept them unless they believe as I do. Allowing others to choose their own paths works for me.
Very interesting discussion.
It's my belief that what we term 'God' (etc.) is an unknowable essence, without gender; 'His' names are as innumerable as 'His' attributes.
That we are created in His/Her/Its spiritual image simply means that we all are born with spiritual virtues latent within. When we develop those virtues, we behave in godly ways (the 'in his image' thing). But when we 'go with the flow', so to speak, and make no effort to develop our virtues, we sink to lower depths in our behaviors and our spirits. It is our insistent self (our lower nature, symbolized as Satan) that inclines us to take the easy way out, rather than to do the right thing.
Humans need to be taught of their dual nature (spiritual/material) and that the spiritual aspect is the more important. That's just the opposite of what is portrayed in popular media, etc. today. It is when we develop our virtues that we become more spiritually mature and are increasingly aligned with the spiritual image of God. "Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures...." ~Baha'u'llah.
Thanks for the enlightening information!
